This invention relates generally to imaging devices and particularly to optical systems for imaging devices.
A wide variety of imaging devices are available including cameras, telescopes and microscopes as examples. In many cases, an imaging array is integrated with these optical devices to record an image produced by the optical device.
Sometimes a zoom lens is provided to enable different fields of view. For example, a narrow field of view and a wide field of view may be obtained by the same zoom lens. Thus, the zoom lens may selectably produce an image with a narrow or wide field of view. The image from the zoom lens may be captured by an imaging array at the same time it is viewed by the user through a viewfinder.
However, the use of a zoom lens results in substantially increased cost for the imaging device. This is because of the relative cost of the zoom lens compared to fixed field of view lenses. Zoom lenses are more expensive to manufacture because there are optical moving parts that may increase the need for precision components and mounting surfaces.
Thus, there is a need for an imaging device which provides for different fields of view without incurring the cost of a zoom lens.